Culture Musings - Today’s Tom Sawyer: Southern drama ‘Mud’ evokes Mark Twain

Matthew McConaughey’s hot streak continues with this Arkansas-based, noir-influenced coming-of-age story.

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  • Courtesy of Lionsgate
  • COME SAIL AWAY WITH ME LAD: Tye Sheridan, Matthew McConaughey and Jacob Lofland in ‘Mud’

The Southern coming-of-age drama Mud doesn’t so much introduce the title character as conjure him from the imagination of two adolescent boys. Ellis and his sidekick Neckbone (Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland) live in a dying Arkansas river community and enjoy sneaking off to their favorite hideouts by skiff. At the beginning of Mud they visit a small island in the river and discover a boat hanging incongruously in a tree, like an image out of “Lost.” They claim the boat as their own, but discover signs of habitation, like cans of Beanie Weenies and boot prints with cross-marks in them.

Only then do they notice the mysterious stranger (Matthew McConaughey) with a fishing pole in hand and a cigarette butt clamped in his teeth. He identifies himself as “Mud” and proves to be both a castaway and a fugitive from the law. Mud shares outlandish stories about how he killed a man to protect his lifelong sweetheart, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon), and needs the tree-bound boat to make a clean getaway. While Neckbone remains suspicious of Mud, Ellis gets caught up in the older man’s rural romanticism, and they agree to bring him provisions and tools to free boat from the branches.

Writer/director Jeff Nichols uses the story to cunningly update the imagery of Mark Twain, whose tales of youthful adventure on the Mississippi provide a cornerstone of American literature. As with his previous film Take Shelter, Nichols shows an eye for telling detail, deliberate pace and careful narrative structure comparable to John Sayles, but also a tendency to belabor his points.






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